Senator Joins Bill Bartmann in Collection Industry Crusade

And now a senator’s involved.

Republican Senator Gary Stanislawski has teamed with industry favorite Bill Bartmann to file something called “Bartmann Ethical Debt Collection Practices Act.” The bill, according to the press release, also honors Bartmann’s father Louie. Louie, Bartmann claims, died after a particularly exacerbating call with a collection agency years ago.

“But don’t we already have the FDCPA?” I can hear you asking. And yes. Yes, we already have the FDCPA, and it already has protections in it, and while some of it is out of date, it’s not like it’s been waiting all this time for another DCPA-styled bill to join it.

Recently, Bartmann has proposed himself as an industry reformer as well as the head of a new collection agency, CFS II (after CFS I got into some legal scrapes and was forced to close down). He has been a very audible voice in discussions about what to do with the collections industry. And…I know. It’s weird because Bartmann’s own ethical track record is questionable at best.

It’s also frustrating because, at least to this writer, a lot of the current attention on the collection industry has been fueled by consumers and legislators looking to point blame-fingers outwards, and away from themselves. A recession coupled with often piss-poor employment numbers puts a lot of consumers in awkward positions regarding their finances. Messages about personal responsibility have a short shelf-life; no one’s sure how to hold corporations accountable; it’s easy to blame the collection industry because, to be frank, no one likes the collection industry much in the first place.

This is what makes Bartmann’s posturing and messaging so attractive to the media and legislators: here’s someone from within who’s willing to blame the industry — his movement is called “Stop These Criminals!”; and guess who the criminals are — but not himself, and wants to implement a 10-point solution that’ll fix EVERYTHING because that’s how fixes work! FINALLY!

What makes Bartmann’s position even more interesting is that it’s not like what he’s suggesting is beyond the pale; and it’s also not like he’s the first to suggest ethical behavior from the industry. However, he is the most visible voice out there because no one else has necessarily stepped up to the national media plate with a similar plan/dog-and-pony-show.

insideARM.com has a call in to Senator Stanislawski’s office to get some more detail on the story. As we learn more, we’ll pass it on to you.